CDC - Get Smart for Healthcare

CRE: Lethal Germs - Rapid action is needed to stop CRE infections
Drug Resistance - New Toolkit: CDC Expands Recommendations
Vital Signs - Stop the spread of C.difficile

Studies indicate that nearly 50% of antimicrobial use in hospitals is unnecessary or inappropriate. There is no doubt that this overuse of antibiotics is contributing to the growing challenges posed by Clostridium difficile and other antibiotic-resistant bacteria in many hospitals. However, studies also demonstrate that improving the use of antibiotics in hospitals can not only help reduce rates of Clostridium difficile infection and antibiotic resistance, but can also improve individual patient outcomes, all while saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in healthcare costs. Get Smart for Healthcare is a CDC campaign focused on improving antibiotic use in inpatient healthcare facilities, starting with hospitals and then expanding to long-term care facilities.

As part of the 2012 Get Smart About Antibiotics Week activities, CDC and the nation’s leading healthcare organizations have united to issue an important policy statement focused on preserving antibiotic effectiveness and combating resistance. To view the joint statement, click here.

Get Smart Campaign

Getsmart for Healthcare - Widgets

CDC Medscape Commentary:
Taking an Antibiotic Timeout [ 4:54 ]

November 15, 2010

Fast Facts

Cost for antibiotics like pills and injections

Antibiotics are a shared resource – and becoming a scarce resource.
Approximately 50% of antibiotic use in hospitals is unnecessary or inappropriate.
Reducing unnecessary antibiotic use can decrease antimicrobial resistance, Clostridium difficile infections, and healthcare costs, and improve patient outcomes.